Turning .358 bullets into .356 bullets

[doubleh]

I posted a while back about ordering a sizing die to do this and I finally got around to seeing how it was going to work yesterday afternoon. I had some 125 gr. SWC bullets I had cast and powder coated with Harbor Freight black powder sometime ago after HF dropped their red powder that worked fairly well. The black worked but it wasn't nice and slick. I had sized them to .358 and the coating survived that so I decided to see what would happen squeezing them down 2 more thousands. They did fine and were slick and shiny where sized. I'm going to try to get a range trip in this week and see how they shoot. Buying a sizing die saved me buying .356 molds which seem to be unavailable anyway.

I threw the HF powder in the trash after this batch and went to Eastwood red to see what it did and it's excellent. That is what I will be using on my cast bullets from now on as I'm not really into different colored bullets.

 

[AJC1]

I posted a while back about ordering a sizing die to do this and I finally got around to seeing how it was going to work yesterday afternoon. I had some 125 gr. SWC bullets I had cast and powder coated with Harbor Freight black powder sometime ago after HF dropped their red powder that worked fairly well. The black worked but it wasn't nice and slick. I had sized them to .358 and the coating survived that so I decided to see what would happen squeezing them down 2 more thousands. They did fine and were slick and shiny where sized. I'm going to try to get a range trip in this week and see how they shoot. Buying a sizing die saved me buying .356 molds which seem to be unavailable anyway.

I threw the HF powder in the trash after this batch and went to Eastwood red to see what it did and it's excellent. That is what I will be using on my cast bullets from now on as I'm not really into different colored bullets.

I like Eastwood powder and the ford light blue is definitely a winner. Trying to squeeze them down is really the only way to know. I would be testing the weapon to see the largest bullet it can handle. It may shoot .357 or it may not. The less the bullet is deformed from original the better off you are IMO.

 

[edwardware]

. . . sized them to .358 and the coating survived that so I decided to see what would happen squeezing them down 2 more thousands. They did fine and were slick and shiny where sized.

2 thou is easy. 10 thou is a bit much for a single step, but I've done it.

Also, the single most significant contributor to smooth sizing is to buy undersized dies, and hone them out to size and 1000 grit. It makes a huge difference vs the reamed finish that many dies seem to ship with.

 

[doubleh]

I have some .357 bullets that I shoot in one 9 MM, so I made up a dummy round before purchasing the .356 sizer.. Nope, wouldn't work with my two other 9 mm pistols. I used to have a 9 mm pistol that needed .358 bullets to become fairly accurate. It wouldn't group for sour apples with .356 and not much better with .357 and wasn't exactly great with the 358 loads. I got tired of trying different loads and traded it off.

The sizer is a Lee and has a high polish inside. No need to do anything to it except to use it.

 

[9x56MS]

I had to reduce 358 cup and core to 354 to fit a 1905 Mannlicher Schoenauer and I can tell you that was work.